What Does This Meme Say About Me, I Wonder...

[darsynia]

1). List your favourite female characters.
2). Explain why you like them or what makes them particularly awesome.
3). Post a picture and your favourite quote.
4). Tag five people to do the same.



Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)

"You said to us once before," said Hermione quietly, "that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. We've had time, haven't we?"

I love Hermione because she's smart and brave but not afraid to admit when she's afraid--her form of bravery is to stand tall even when she IS afraid. She's a bookish female not concerned with her appearance all the time, she's loyal to her friends, and she's got quite a few blind spots about herself... she's not perfect, which makes her even more loveable, imo.
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Claudia Jean Cregg (The West Wing)

"Obviously there's one story that's gonna be dominating the news around the world for the next few days. And it would be easy to think that President Bartlet, Joshua Lyman, and Stephanie Abbott were the only people who were victims of a gun crime last night. They weren't. Mark Davis and Sheila Evans of Philadelphia were killed by a gun last night. He was a biology teacher and she was a nursing student. Tina Bishop and Belinda Larkin were killed with a gun last night. They were twelve. There were 36 homicides last night; 480 sexual assaults; 3,411 robberies; 3,685 aggravated assaults, all at gun point. And if anyone thinks those crimes could have been prevented if the victims themselves had been carrying guns, I'd only remind you that the President of the United States was shot last night while surrounded by the best trained guards in the history of the world."

God, what can I say about C.J.? She believes firmly in her convictions, but at the same time is able to see that standing up for them ALL the time doesn't always get a positive result. She was the show's conscience, and I loved her for it dearly. She's awkward and yet graceful, gentle and rough, and always articulate, even when recovering from a root canal. I don't know if I've cried more listening to any other character's speeches.
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Martha Jones (Doctor Who)

Martha Jones: Oh, the moon landing's brilliant. We went four times. Back when we had transport...
The Doctor: Working on it!

There's such a lovely vulnerability to Martha that I really adore, because I think it's that which drives her inner strength and her will to protect herself and those around her. In many ways, Martha knows better, but does anyway, and really, isn't that a trait most of us have in abundance? It's wonderful to watch someone on screen who is strong, intelligent, and loving, but who can make mistakes and learn from them, rather than being a caricature.
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Special Agent Dana Scully, Md. (The X-Files)

Mulder: Modell put the whammy on him.
Scully: Please explain to me the scientific nature of 'the whammy.'

There is something so fantastic about a character on television who can simultaneously be intelligent, a skeptic, and also struggle with their faith. I think this encompasses so much about human nature! That's not all I love about Scully, though--her tenacity, her dedication to thoroughness, and her wry wit all make me wish at various times to be her daughter, her sister, and/or her friend. I am not as devoted an X-Files fan as I am of the other shows I've mentioned here, but I do love Scully even if I don't know her as well as I feel I do the others.
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Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

It's just in high school, knowledge was pretty much frowned upon; you really had to work to learn anything. But here, the energy, the-the collective intelligence, it's like this force, t-this penetrating force, a-and I can just feel my mind opening up, you know? A-and letting this place just thrust into and-and spurt knowledge into... that sentence ended up in a different place than it started out in.

I just... she's Willow. How do I explain why I love her so much with any more words than that?!
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Teyla Emmagan (Stargate: Atlantis)

John: Look, Teyla... I'm not really good at, uh... actually, I'm... I'm terrible at expressing... I don't know what you'd call it, uh...
Teyla: Feelings?
John: Yeah, sure, okay. The point is, I don't really have good, uh...
Teyla: Social skills?
John: Well, that is why I enjoyed flying choppers in the most remote part of my world before all this craziness happened, but, uh, you should know, I don't have, uh...
Teyla: Friends?
John: No. I have friends. [pauses]
John: You, Elizabeth, Ronon, Carson, even Rodney, are the closest thing I have to a...
Teyla: A family?
John: I'd do anything... for any one of you. If I had to give up my life the way Ronon was going to, I would.
[gets up from the table and starts to leave]
Teyla: Thank you. For everything you... meant to say.


Rarely does a strong woman in television also have a strong sense of serenity to her, as well. I love Teyla because she's a leader who leads not by sheer force of personality, but by skill, intelligence, diplomacy, and empathy. She's powerful in mind and body and uses both sparingly to the benefit of her loved ones--what's not to love?
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Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

Can I just say, traveling with you... I love it.

It was hard to find a quote for Rose, because a lot of what she says and does is supportive, you know? And I love that about her. She is the context, in many ways--she helps us see things in her point of view, with wonder and bravery and a little bit of naivete. It kind of hurt to watch her grow up, if only because I knew that even she, even *Rose* couldn't have her Doctor forever--and if she couldn't, none of us could...
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Gwen Cooper (Torchwood)

Excuse me, have you seen a blowfish driving a sports car?

I gotta admit, Gwen had to grow on me, but (I promise, no spoilers!) the parts of her I did like definitely shone in Children of Earth. There's a reality to Gwen that's a bit hard to stomach, because it's like looking your own flaws in the face, at times, but I think in many ways that is exactly why I like her character so much--because she's real: she mucks up, and she gets right back up and goes to work and does her best.
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Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice)

Elizabeth Bennett: Did I just agree to dance with Mr. Darcy?
Charlotte Lucas: I dare say you will find him amiable.
Elizabeth Bennet: That would be most inconvenient since I have sworn to loathe him for all eternity.

It isn't just Kiera's version of P&P that I like (in truth, I like Jennifer Ehle's portrayal the best, but it's hard to get images of that), but I think a lot of the dialogue in the most recent adaptation captures the best of what I love about Lizzie. She's headstrong, she makes snap decisions, but she's honest and genuine about her regrets. She's intelligent and high strung, incredibly loyal, and never boring. ♥
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And now for my very favorite:

Sara Sidle (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)

Sara Sidle: What if... you can hear the victim's screams? In the car, or at the store.
Gil Grissom: You have empathy for her, Sara. You want someone to pay for what was done to her. That's normal.
Sara Sidle: [pauses] You want to sleep with me?
Gil Grissom: [looks up at her] Did you just say what I think you said?
Sara Sidle: That way, when I wake up in cold sweat under the blanket, hearing Kaye's screams, you can tell me it's nothing, it's just empathy.

I didn't expect that Sara would come out on top, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that she gives me goosebumps in all the best ways. Her doggedness, her determination, her intelligence, humor, empathy, smartassness--even her sense of style, all resonate with me so closely. There's an inexorability to Sara that frustrates and delights me. I don't think I'm much like Sara, but I understand her, and I mourned the writers' decision to take her character down by giving her an alcohol problem. To me, it felt like a betrayal of what Sara's true flaw is--wanting to be perfect SO MUCH that it becomes an obstacle. For the very same reason I felt I couldn't put Nymphadora Tonks on my list, I HAD to put Sara on it--because the writer(s), I felt, didn't understand her like I did. There's also the fact that Grissom/Sara was my first real OTP, and I wasn't denied my canon, even if I did have to wait nearly nine seasons for it...

I always feel the same about tagging people as I do about forwarding e-mails, but I will make an exception in this case, because I genuinely would like to know who these people would choose. If I have left you out, and you want to do it, PLEASE do--some people I've left out deliberately because I suspect they feel the same way about being tagged as I do about tagging, lol.

So, vida_boheme, vaginasaurus, thisissirius, theweasleyboys, and unamaga, have at it!

ETA: Let's try to keep discussion of at least Torchwood spoiler free, yeah? The post doesn't have spoilers, but if comments turn out to have them, I will edit to reflect this in the post ribbed for your pleasure protection.